Foodie Friday {1/24} + Cookbook Giveaway

1. The Ultimate Creamy Protein Oats

After countless trials, I have finally perfected my oatmeal game and now have yet to deviate from this recipe. The weeks I am on an oatmeal kick (as opposed to a protein pancake kick), I make these every single morning and they never get old. The only thing I sometimes change is the toppings. Sliced banana and crushed walnuts are my favorite go-to.

Once mixture is bubbling and oats are almost cooked (~3 minutes) add one egg white (or 1/3 cup liquid egg whites), turn heat to low, and stir continuously for ~30 seconds until egg white is blended in mixture. Remove from heat, add nut butter, cinnamon and toppings of choice.

Adding the egg white makes the oatmeal so creamy, similar in consistently to porridge. Between the addition of protein powder and the protein in the egg white, these oats will keep you full and satisfied well into the morning. You must try this recipe!

2. Overnight Oats in a Jar (OOIAJ)

This has gained major hype in the foodie/nutrition realm lately. For good reason, as they are so delicious and super versatile.

Take an almost-empty jar of nut butter, fill it with equal parts oats and milk of choice (or water), yogurt and additional add-ins such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, stevia, flavor extract, fruit, etc, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, you wake up to creamy, delicious oats with remnants of nut butter. If you don’t have an empty nut butter jar, just use a half-pint mason jar.

Think of OOIAJ as the ‘slow cooker’ of oatmeal…. Throw everything together the night before and breakfast is ready when you are the next morning! Genius concept.

My go-to recipe (as pictured) is the following combo:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

A little more than 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tbsp 0% fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp flax seeds

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of cinnamon and stevia

Directions: Combine all ingredients in an almost-empty peanut butter jar or mason jar. Stir it all up and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight for optimal results.

In the morning, I usually add another splash of almond milk and top the oats with bananas and chopped walnuts or granola. If you’re craving warm oatmeal, simply transfer the oats to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes or heat stove-top until warm.

I like to recommend breakfasts like this to people who are on-the-go in the morning and say they don’t have time for breakfast. Even when you’re busy, there is always a way feed your body with proper nutrition. It’s all in the preparation.

3. Poached Eggs with Mashed Avocado, Sriracha and Cilantro

Clearly the theme this week is breakfast. If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw me share this breakfast during the week. It’s basically heaven on a toasted English muffin. On the rare mornings that I crave a savory breakfast over sweet, this will be my new staple.

Poached eggs + avocado is always a winning combo in my book, but adding the Sriracha and cilantro really brought the flavor to another level. This breakfast actually kept me full all the way up until lunch (which almost never happens).

I watched this video to help fine-tune my egg poaching skills. Alton Brown is an undeniable genius. I refer to him as the mad scientist of the culinary world and I love it. His videos and tutorials have taught me so much in the kitchen and I would just love to shake the man’s hand.

4. Tazo Vanilla Rooibois Parfait Tea

A sweet herbal union of rooibos with apple, peach, cinnamon & Tahitian vanilla. I usually don’t even like tea, yet cannot get enough of this stuff. I keep it at work for a caffeine-free afternoon treat. I’ve had a bad habit of craving a hot cup of coffee around 3:30 PM every day, like clock-work. The caffeine really started affecting my sleep at night so I tried numerous herbal teas to kick my habit.

This one was the winner by a LONG shot. I add ~1 tsp of honey and a touch of milk and it is a divine combination of pure goodness. I love the smell even before its brewed. I just want to make potpourri out of it and smell it all day long.

So far I’ve only been able to find this tea at Starbucks. You can also order it online. If anyone sees it at another retailer, please let me know!

I was generously offered a copy of this cookbook to give away to one lucky DOH reader.

The cookbook offers >100 recipes as well as meal plans, shopping lists and food swaps to help reduce the sugar and increase the fiber in your diet. The cookbook also describes how to successfully navigate the grocery store with handy shopping lists to help stock your pantry and refrigerator with nutrient-dense foods. It also touches on how to properly analyze a nutrition facts label.

A lot of the recipes are familiar staples that are quick and easy to prepare. Chef Cindy Gershen does a great job of making healthy cooking seem effortless, which I fully support!

For a chance to win this cookbook, simply comment on this post telling me your favorite recipe/dish to prepare. I’ll chose a random winner tomorrow (1/26). Be sure to provide a valid email address so I can get in touch with you regarding shipping information.

Jamie,
You don’t have to enter me in the cookbook drawing, but I want to let you know that I LOVE your blog and the recipes are fantastic, and good for you giving us some really great oatmeal recipes! I make the carrot cake smoothie several times per week as it’s my fav treat after cycle class!

I love finding new recipes on blogs and Pinterest to try. I love the recipes on your blog! I’ve been cooking lots of soups lately since the weather has been freezing.

I have actually been on the hunt lately for recipes that don’t use as much sugar, especially in baked goods. My dad was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes due to complications from cancer (he’s fine besides the diabetes), and I would love to share these recipes with him!

I’ve been experimenting with OOIAJ lately too. I made a strawberry cheesecake one that I saw on Pinterest that came out amazing! I’ve seen some people add egg whites to theirs. What do you think about this? I’m scared of eating raw eggs!